Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business on Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK (on Bloomberg’s home in Houston) recently interviewed Nicole Hoglund.

About the interviewee

Nicole Hoglund, is the owner of Honestly Able, LLC, a marketing consulting service that serves up honest advice on how you’re able to market your business online. Nicole has been in the marketing industry for over 7 years and has worked for companies such as Minuteman Press International, Autoshop Solutions and Hirease. She has a knack for advising businesses on how to incorporate online marketing into their everyday business model. She is also passionate about continuing her education to learn more about marketing and giving back to the community she is living in.

Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.).

Currently my company only has one employee (myself). It’s a consulting agency that I started after getting laid off from a previous position in March. I started the company, not only to be my own boss, but because I want to be able to help and advise businesses (small and medium sized to be exact) on how they are able to market their business through different types of online marketing.

What type and size of companies do you have as clients?

So far I have had one client, it was a contract deal to help them implement and start an inbound marketing strategy. It was for a month and a half and ended in mid-may. The client had over 50 employees around the world and was well known within their industry as an expert. They were a high-end web & app development company. My ideal clients would be small and medium sized businesses with the goal of advising and helping them create online marketing strategies to help generate sales and success.

What comes to mind when you see this topic?

In order for your business to move forward you need to have some type of a sales pipeline. When you are just starting out with your business it all comes down to the connections you have and the work you have done in the past in order to get the pipeline going. Reaching out to old connections or co-workers can help generate new clients or connections that can lead you to your next sale. Connecting with them on social sites like LinkedIn can give you a way to get the conversation started.

You also should step out of your comfort zone and attend networking events in your area to get your face and business out in front on new connections. You never know where you next sale could come from, but remember that whom you know and how you’re past performance in the industry you are conducting business in are the step-stones to keeping your pipeline full.

What are the best practices when it comes to this issue?

When reaching out or making new connections that could lead to a sale or potential lead to put in your pipeline, there are some best practices to keep in mind. Don’t immediately ask the connection about whom they know that would buy your solution. People are willing to help you but asking out right might make them standoffish to you and your business.

When connecting on social sites with new connections, make sure that you are connecting with people you know or have another connection to. Whether you’re in a group or your friend is a friend, stating why you’re connecting with them with help them understand and will generate a higher acceptance rate.

Last but not least when networking at an event, the best thing you can do to make a memorable connection and impression is to ask the other person “What can I do to help you?” instead of telling them about your business. It helps establish that you’re interested in them and their solution and that you’re willing to listen.